Fetching Advice: Readers let us know what's on their minds

Letters, we get letters! Actually, I do get some very nice letters from readers, and it's always fun to see what interests, annoys, entertains "»

Dr. Ellen Friedman

Letters, we get letters! Actually, I do get some very nice letters from readers, and it's always fun to see what interests, annoys, entertains "»

Last week's column about parrots as pets drew a lot of attention. I write my columns several weeks in advance, and by a coincidence of timing, a television special aired that highlighted the plight of abandoned exotic pet birds.

My veterinary practice cares for many birds, and we certainly see the problems that can arise when uninformed or careless owners neglect these amazingly intelligent, sentient creatures. My own parrot came to me from a family unable to care for his medical needs.

There are so many birds that live in inappropriate homes or have made their way to rescue facilities because of their special social, emotional and health care exigencies. If you are thinking about adopting one of these birds, be sure you understand their issues and are ready to commit to many years of responsibility.

On a lighter side, my "I'm afraid of the giant, grumpy Rottweiler" column got a great response from a lovely lady of German birth. Her family raised Rotties for decades. She was so tickled by my story that she telephoned her sister in Munich to read her the article (which she had translated into German). I thought this was great fun.

My favorite response was to the little story of the new kitten in an "old" client's household. When he came in for vaccinations, I gave the children a copy of the whole newspaper, and told them to look through the paper for a story that would interest them. Later that afternoon, we received a phone call: "You wrote a story about our kitty!" Everyone had tears in his or her eyes that day.

So, keep your notes coming. Hearing from you is the most fun of all. And Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours.

Dr. Ellen Friedman is in general practice, with an interest in geriatric feline medicine, at Newburgh Veterinary Hospital and All Creatures Veterinary Hospital in New Paltz. Email her at newbvet@yahoo.com.

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